A Light Like the Sun
by BeckEmrys
Summary: It's been over 1000 years since Arthur's demise and Merlin has been patiently awaiting his return. He's traveled the world and gained a talented apprentice, Ellie, who helps him prepare for Arthur's return. When a group of sorcerer hunters target Albion, Arthur rises again and he, Merlin, & Ellie must prepare for the fight of their lives. [Eventual Merthur]


**I don't own Merlin or any of the characters or aspects from the show, except for my original characters that I created for this story.**

**The original character of Ellie started out as me imagining myself in Merlin and Arthur's story so if you'd like, imagine yourself as Ellie so that you can insert yourself into the story too :) **

**This is a Merthur story but it may take a little while before the Merthur slash actually happens.**

**Rated M just to be safe! May be future course language and eventual Merthur sexy time :)**

**This is my first Merlin fanfic so please go easy on me! Feedback is more than welcome! Hope you enjoy :)**

Merlin awoke with a jolt. He'd had the dream yet again. The same dream he'd been having for a little over a thousand years. A dream in which a boy with hair like the sun called to him, reached out to him. Sometimes he said different things to Merlin.

"I'm here, Merlin."

"Merlin, where are you?"

"I'm coming back. I will rise again."

And, worst of all:

"Why did you let me die, Merlin? Why couldn't you save me?"

That one only came at times when Merlin was feeling particularly guilt-ridden about Arthur's death. He'd spent countless years going over their time together in his head, thinking of all the things he would change, things he'd do differently. Merlin lived a haunted existence, filled with the ghosts of his past and the burden of regret. He had a very motivating purpose though, to continue living through all these years. It was Kilgharrah's prophecy that Arthur would return. Merlin hoped against all hope that this time would come and he would be reunited with his King.

This time, Merlin's dream had been different from any before. This time Arthur said something he'd never said before.

"Soon."

The phrase was repeated over and over again until it startled Merlin from his slumber. He sat bolt upright in bed and looked around his modest bedroom. Bits of morning sun spilled into the room from between the window blinds. He smelt the faint scent of coffee, probably lingering from Ellie's early morning rise. She had always been a morning person, rising before dawn. Merlin, on the other hand was a night owl. He'd spent many nights lying awake seeing Arthur in the dark. Seeing Arthur in everything. Nothing had lessened Arthur's memory. Not even a thousand years.

Merlin had met Ellie roughly 300 years ago, give or take. She had been a victim of the horrific Salem witch trials in Massachusetts, one of the few who actually did possess magic.

Initially after Arthur's death, Merlin stayed in Camelot to support Gwen and live out the lives of his precious friends that remained. Eventually, Merlin had to say goodbye to all his friends, and just like that, everyone who he had loved in the world was gone. Merlin stuck around for another few decades, still hoping that Arthur's return would be soon. Eventually, he realized the return might still be decades away, centuries even. He decided to travel the vast world and see what it had to offer. He did not expect to find much in way of happiness—nothing could fill the hole that Arthur left—but he felt, being able to live as long as he wanted, that he should travel the world. Eventually his travels took him to America, where he had heard that witches were being prosecuted. In his time at Camelot—what he liked to refer to as his "original life"—magic had become accepted, largely thanks to Gwen, whose Queenly influence had effect on many. Sorcery was no longer outlawed and few protested. But as Camelot's reign waned and new governments and nations formed and expanded, magic once again became hidden. The world became a much larger place, one that placed little stock in anything supernatural. Those with magical abilities hid them, but least they were not openly opposed and prosecuted as they had been by Uther. Most people no longer believed in magic. Sorcerers mostly hid their gifts, only confiding in others that had magical powers. Ellie had grown up in a time that was unknowing of magic, though both her parents had been gifted sorcerers. She inherited their gifts but was coached to never ever reveal them to anyone who was not a part of the secret underground magical community. Her father died of an infected injury when she was young, before the extent of her powers had formed. Most sorcerers were not strong enough to stop an imminent death, but Ellie still had always regretted that she could not find a way to save her father. Later, as she and her powers matured, she realized that she had a particularly strong healing power. If only she'd been older when her father died, maybe she could have saved him.

During the witch trials, many women were burnt at the stake, mostly for crossing powerful people, for simply seeming different, or for no real reason at all. Most of these women were not even magical at all. Ellie's mother, however, was said to have been seen performing an incantation in her backyard and was quickly tied up in front of the town. Ellie hadn't known until she was walking through the town square on her way home. She dropped her basket of foods and rushed forward, blocked by the swelling crowd. Before she could do anything, the fire was lit and her mother went up in flames instantly, as she'd been soaked by the townspeople in highly flammable liquid. Ellie screamed a harsh, deafening cry, but the crowd, who'd become rambunctious and celebratory paid little notice to her. She became infuriated and shoved her way through the crowd, to her mother's charred remains. She wanted to reach her, to heal her, but a body in pieces and ashes could not be healed. Large, bulbous men blocked the stake, not letting Ellie pass. No one had noticed the young man standing nearby, who'd walked up about the same time Ellie had, and had been watching her reactions carefully. Ellie shrieked and fought the men.

"Let me go! Let me go you bastards, that's my mother!"

One of the men shoved her back, nearly knocking her over.

"Sorry sweetheart, your mother was a dirty, filthy witch who reveled in the worship of Satan!"

"That's ridiculous! Let me through!" Ellie shouted and continued to try and shove past them.

The same man tightly grabbed the tops of her arms, squeezing her hard.

"Get away, girl! Your mother was a disgusting, witching whore!"

Ellie went lax in his hands. He mistakenly thought she'd calmed down, accepted what he said. He let go of her. But the unnoticed young man standing nearby could see that she was readying to perform a powerful bit of magic. And he knew this would get her killed. He had been too late to save the girl's mother but he could save her.

The air around Ellie began to swirl, tendrils of her hair lifting, her eyes glowing. The large men hadn't noticed, had gone back to the crowd festivities. But everyone would notice very soon with whatever she was about to do. It would certainly reveal her powers and she'd be next on the stake. Just as she lifted an arm and was about to speak Merlin rushed at her shoving her aside and pulling her with him. Ellie was completely blindsided and had no idea what was happening. Merlin quickly yanked her by an arm into a secluded alleyway. She'd begun to try and fight him off, but the lanky boy was stronger than he looked. She elbowed him one good time in the eye, distracting him and almost getting away, but he was too quick. He vigorously crashed into her, pinning her to a wall. Both were breathing heavily and as Merlin had her arms pinned up next to her and his legs pinning hers, she gave up her fight and started to weep. It became apparent to Merlin that she was not faking and he let her go as she collapsed onto the ground, curled up. Merlin slowly crouched down in front of her.

"My mother," she wept, "they killed my mother."

Merlin placed a wary hand on her shoulder.

"I know, I'm so sorry. I didn't get there in time to save her. But I saw you. I saw that you were about to do magic and I had to stop you. They would kill you and I couldn't let that happen."

Ellie looked up through her tear-filled eyes into his. "Magic? You…? You know about…"

"Yes. I have magic, too," he shifted to the spot on the ground next to her so that they were sitting side by side.

"Who are you?" Ellie asked.

"My name's Merlin. But some know me as…"

"Emrys," Ellie finished.

Merlin smiled.

"You're…THE Emrys? The most powerful sorcerer to walk the Earth?"

"Well," Merlin started modestly, "some people have said that, yes."

That was how Merlin and Ellie had met. He had stopped her from doing something foolish, had saved her from herself. After doing what they could to stop the witch trials, Ellie fled with Merlin. She joined him in his worldly travels and they'd learned all about each other's lives. Ellie became Merlin's apprentice as he further schooled her in the ways of sorcery, though Merlin had always thought she didn't need much help from him. He was sure she would have always become a powerful sorcerer on her own. She had become the most powerful sorcerer of all those Merlin had ever met.

At some point throughout their many years together, Ellie fell in love with Merlin. She hadn't meant to, had tried not to, but to her it seemed inevitable. Merlin was kind, gentle, and compassionate despite the hardness that had settled on his heart. He was also funny and could bring light to mostly any situation, something that was essential if one planned on living for hundreds of years. Perhaps the most important thing Ellie had learned from Merlin was the ability to manipulate one's lifespan. Merlin had the power to extend his life as long as necessary as it took for Arthur's return. It took Ellie years but eventually she too mastered this gift, freezing her age at her prime. She did not plan on doing this forever, only until Arthur returned so that she could be there for Merlin in the meantime.

One night in Italy, Ellie entered the bedroom Merlin was using at their temporary home. He looked pensive and so, so unbearably cute. As he gazed out his window, the moonlight did wonderful things for his cheekbones and jawline. Then again, they pretty much always looked amazing. There was something about him in that moment that made Ellie want to unleash her feelings. Determinedly, she approached. He continued to gaze out the window.

"Merlin?" she spoke hesitantly.

He turned to her, "Yes?"

And she could bear to say no more, lest she lose her nerve. She simply strode over to him, placed her hands on his face, felt those wonderful cheekbones, and kissed him. Merlin did nothing to stop her. In fact he welcomed this contact. It had been so, so long since he'd had this kind of contact with anyone. He wasn't in love with Ellie, which was why in hindsight he should have stopped her, but he did love her in some kind of way and for a moment he thought maybe that was enough.

Ellie was not the first person Merlin had slept with. In the space of the roughly 700 years before he met her, after his original life, he'd had liaisons with various people. Being alive for all these years, one needed this kind of connection every now and then. Sometimes they were meaningful relationships, sometimes, a fast affair. However lovely, none of these people ever held a candle to Arthur. No matter how many people there were or how much time had passed, Merlin's relationship with Arthur was the biggest and brightest in his life. What he had with Ellie was certainly a meaningful relationship. But it was an unbalanced relationship because Ellie was in love with Merlin but Merlin was not in love with her. Not in that way. Deep down they both knew this. Ellie was quite perceptive, even aside from her ability to see people's auras and sense their emotions. She knew in her heart something was missing. And, having learned all about Merlin's original life, she knew it was Arthur. Merlin had never outwardly admitted to being in love with Arthur, but Ellie knew he was. There was a time when Ellie thought, or more like hoped, that she and Merlin could truly be together forever. She was fooling herself and she knew this, but she couldn't stop hoping as long as their physical relationship continued. Merlin knew that continuing this kind of relationship with Ellie was wrong, was completely unfair to her, which was why he planned to put an end to it.

One morning in their current home in Finland, Merlin awoke with a jumbled speech ready in mind. He turned over to find that Ellie was no longer there next to him. Groggily he made his way to the small kitchen, the scent of morning tea engulfing the room. Ellie was sitting at one side of their two-person table, hands clasped onto a large tea cup, looking very determined. It was almost comical how stern she looked.

"Merlin," she spoke, trying very hard to sound curt, "Please sit."

"Uh, okay," Merlin smiled nervously, taking the seat across from her.

With him actually here in front of her, her confidence faltered a little. Merlin realized she looked quite troubled.

"Ellie?" he reached a hand across the table and took ahold of hers, concerned. "Ellie, what is it?"

Gently, she pulled her hand away.

"Merlin. We can't…we can't do this anymore."

"Do…do what?"

"You know what, Merlin," her voice shook slightly, "we can't pretend that we're…that we're in love. That we're together, like that. Because we both know we're not."

"Ellie," Merlin began regretfully.

"No, Merlin, please, let me finish."

He stared at her with those intense blue eyes of his.

"Something's missing for you and we both know what that is. _Who _that is. You've never had to say it, Merlin. I know. Even without my aura ability, I think it'd be blindingly obvious."

Merlin would have been embarrassed had this been anyone but Ellie confronting him with his feelings.

"At first I thought we could be something, you and me. Thought we could be _together_. But then I realized no one could ever take Arthur's place in your heart, Merlin."

Merlin's heart fluttered at the mention of Arthur's name.

"Ellie, I'm so sorry," he blurted, "I thought…we could be together too, me and you. I did. I _wanted _to want that."

Tears streamed down Ellie's face, breaking Merlin's heart.

"I've been so unfair to you. I should never have let this happen," he spoke quietly.

Ellie wiped her eyes, "No, _I _shouldn't have let it happen. I could see your feelings. But I became engrossed in my own."

"It's not your fault," Merlin said soothingly, "it's mine. I'm so sorry, you have to know that."

"I can see it in your aura," she smiled and they laughed lightly.

"Do you want me to go?" she asked quietly.

"Go? What do you…?

"Do you want me to leave? Not be with you anymore? Because I can go if you need me to. I don't want you feeling like you have to keep me around."

"Ellie, I _want_ you here," he said incredulously, "I've been on my own entirely too long. You've brought light to my life. I _need_ you."

She smiled.

"But, if _you_ want to go, I completely understand," he said, looking down.

"Oh, please Merlin," she mock rolled her eyes, "all these stories you've told me about Arthur. I have to stick around and see him."

They both smiled.

"Well, he's a bit of a prat really," Merlin grinned.

Merlin and Ellie stopped their physical relationship but continued to be very close. They were more than just sorcerer and apprentice because after centuries together, they each knew the other extremely well. During the mid-1800s their travels took them to France where Merlin took on another apprentice, a very powerful young wizard named Oran. He became a part of their little family and they were quite happy for the next few decades. Merlin told Oran all his Arthur stories and his adventures from his original life and Ellie loved hearing all the stories again and again. The Arthur stories were her favorite but she also loved to hear the ones about his knights. The bravery, loyalty, and friendship that Leon, Percival, Elyan, Lancelot, and Gwaine shared astounded and impressed her thoroughly. When Merlin spoke of them, his aura beamed with pride. When he spoke of Arthur, it absolutely swelled with light like the sun.

Oran became a constant companion to both Merlin and Ellie, which was why the two of them were devastated when Oran was killed by a rogue sorcerer hunter in Budapest. Merlin had had to say goodbye to so many people, but that didn't make loss much easier. Ellie was absolutely heartbroken. Oran had become a brother to her. Merlin wished he could have sent away Oran in the Lake at Camelot in one of the old wooden boats, like he had done for most of his loved ones. It was a painful experience, but it was one that felt right when it came to saying goodbye to a friend. Merlin and Ellie held a small memorial, just the two of them. Unable to stay, and unable to track down the elusive sorcerer hunter, the two packed up as they'd done so many times before and left.

The dawn of the 20th century found Merlin and Ellie living in Florida. Merlin was finding that his Arthur dream was occurring more and more often. So much so that he thought they must be a sign. He was even now having dreams that featured Kilgharrah, offering him the same prophecy as he had at Arthur's death—that Arthur would return again when Albion's need was greatest. It seemed to serve as a reminder. As if he could ever forget. These signs encouraged Merlin, of course, for he thought that Arthur's return would be soon. He and Ellie hastily made their way back to Albion, England, both increasingly excited. The two of them had visited Albion fairly regularly throughout the years. Though Merlin liked to travel the world, he could never stay too far away from Arthur's place for long. He always had to return to constantly check, just in case. He had faith though, that when the time came for Arthur's return, he would be there. After all, it was his destiny. And he was happy to be there for Arthur until the day he died, no matter how long that may be.

Merlin and Ellie's sense of time was different from the average person, as they'd expanded their lifespans. Decades didn't seem very long for them anymore. There was no telling when Arthur would make his return, but because of his dreams, Merlin thought it must be soon, within the century.

They remained in Albion for the century, which felt like settling down. They were no longer traveling around, being nomads, but had essentially made a permanent home. They'd made and gathered money throughout the years, so rent wasn't an issue but sometimes either one of them held a job just in case. Albion was a hotbed for sorcerers, though the normal residents were unaware. The magical community was all underground of course but Albion seemed to be their meeting place. Mostly every sorcerer ended up here at some point in their lives. Merlin tried to stay under the radar as he was pretty well-known to sorcerers. Ellie herself had gained a reputation, too, as a very strong healer. She could heal most wounds and could eradicate minor illnesses. She was happy to help those who needed her, though she rarely used her power on non-magical people anymore. In today's age, people were not accepting and unbelieving of any such power. If she weren't careful, she could reveal herself to the population, as well as the rest of the magical community. Such an occurrence could cause worldwide uproar, panic, and religious fervor. Nobody wanted that.

By the time the 21st century crept up, Merlin became extremely anxious and Ellie became worrisome and restless. Merlin had been sure Arthur would return before the end of the 20th century. He broke down several times throughout the 2000s when Arthur still had not returned. Ellie became increasingly worried about him. Some nights Merlin spent entirely at the Lake, the sight at which Arthur would return. He would sit and stare at the water for several hours and sometimes would not come home until Ellie came and got him. She wouldn't say much, would just pull him up by an arm and lead him home. Sometimes she sat him down when they returned home and presented him with a large cup of tea or coffee. She sat with him until he decided to retire to bed.

One time, in 2010, Merlin hadn't been home for many hours. Ellie had left for work in the morning at 7:00am to find that Merlin had risen early and left for the day. When she returned home in the evening Merlin was still not there and her aura abilities told her that no one had been in their flat since she left. She hoped that he had been doing things all day, visiting fellow sorcerers, getting or trading things at the underground sorcerers market, etc. Something other than wallowing at the Lake. She began to worry when she readied for sleep and he still hadn't returned. She heard the door of their flat creak open and breathed a sigh of relief. She walked out of her room and Merlin spoke immediately.

"Willie's been hearing things," he said abruptly.

Willie was a fellow sorcerer, not very powerful but always equipped with information. He seemed to know everyone and everything about them. This was not an accent of his power, but more of a town gossip trait.

"Uh…" Ellie replied, "Yeah, I expect Willie hears a number of things."

Merlin looked her in the eyes seriously.

"Things about a sorcerer hunter."

Immediately Ellie thought of Oran. "A…a sorcerer hunter?"

"Yes, and not just _one _guy, but _several _guys. Women, too. A group of people."

"Who are they? What are they doing?" her voiced pitched higher, thinking of Oran.

"Apparently this group has been amassed and they want to eradicate sorcerers."

"What, are they like religious extremists or something? People thinking magic's evil? Do they even know what they're doing?"

"Well, they've been said to have brutally murdered many sorcerers."

"God. Why haven't we heard about sorcerer murders?" she asked, shocked.

"They were in rural or poor places, mostly. The deep south in the United States. Slums of Asia. Jungles of Africa. Other places, too."

"What's Willie heard? Are they coming here?"

"He thinks so. No one around here seems to know much though."

"It doesn't sound like these people are amateurs."

"No," Merlin said seriously, "Ellie, these people have even prosecuted children. Murdered them right in front of their families. It's like Uther all over again, except in group form."

"Merlin," she asked carefully, "do you think this means…?"

"Albion's greatest need?" he finished, "I don't know, maybe."

Recently Ellie had wanted to suggest that they go on exploring the world again. After all, they'd spent all this time in Albion and Arthur had not yet made his return. But now this… could this be the time of Albion's greatest need? Would Arthur be rising soon?

A couple of years passed and Merlin and Ellie tried preparing for anything that could be upcoming from this sorcerer hunting group. Willie sporadically heard bits of gossip from other, smaller magical communities but there was not much to go on. Still, the group's existence was apparent as was their purpose.

Ellie quit her shop job and devoted her time to studying various volumes of Merlin's ancient texts that had been gathered over the years. She also poured over newer books and websites, searching for anything that could aid them should they face a fight with the sorcerer hunters. They were confident in their magical abilities but it seemed like the hunters were preparing for something for _years_. Whatever they were willing to put that much time into must be something major. Merlin and Ellie had no idea what to expect.


End file.
